HAMMERFALL: WORLD EXCLUSIVE IN-STUDIO REPORT NOW AVAILABLE

“The first time HAMMERFALL was here [in Nashville],” writes BraveWords.com scribe Mark Groman, “eleven years ago, it was for the recording of [2000’s] Renegade at Michael Wagner’s studio, adjacent to ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann’s farm. Instead of a classic metal tunesmith, the Hammers have opted for a contemporary, some might say cutting edge, producer, in SIXX: A.M. singer James Michael (PAPA ROACH, TRAPT, SALIVA) . . . [T]he band recorded 11:30 am – 3 pm daily, allowing Michael to do his magic throughout the night. He was still tinkering, dialing in sounds during our playback. The producer felt many of the lyrics stand on their own, as poetry, and opted for a “guerilla attitude, a spontaneity to just go for it,” with the vocals. Cans, for one, was ecstatic with the results.”

In this world exclusive in-studio feature, vocalist Joacim Cans states: “I don’t know exactly where the idea to use James came from, but I’m so into Sixx: A.M. Then I found out he’s not only the singer, but the songwriter and producer [of the band]. I envisioned this album in a certain way and wondered what a guy like James could do with HAMMERFALL. We have our sound, our songs… what could he do with a heavy metal album to make it modern, without losing the soul? I wanted to open up HAMMERFALL, make it a bit more interesting. We’ve been working with (producer) Charlie Bauerfeind since 2002. I wanted to make a different record, one that sounds different to everything else (in our catalog).”

Groman gives a track-by-track breakdown of songs that will appear on the new album, with commentaries throughout by the band members. Read the exclusive online report here.

HAMMERFALL continue to work on the recording of their new album with producer James Michael (Mötley Crüe, Scorpions, SIXX:AM, Meat Loaf). The as-yet-untitled new release is the follow-up to 2009’s No Sacrifice, No Victory (which debuted at #38 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart) and will be available in Europe on May 20th. A summer release date in North America is expected.

No Sacrifice, No Victory achieved gold status in Sweden for sales in excess of 20,000 copies. The album registered the following first-week chart positions in Europe: #2 in Sweden, #7 in Germany, #20 in Switzerland, #21 in the U.K. (Indie Albums chart), #25 in Austria, #46 in Norway, and #95 in France.